


Some Kind of Disaster

by JustReadItPlease



Category: Twilight (Movies), Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Angst, F/F, Light Angst, Most of the time, tags will be added as needed, there will be mentions of suicide and mental illness, there will be romance and fluff dont worry, this fiction deals with some heavy topics
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2020-06-18
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:34:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 21,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24634648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustReadItPlease/pseuds/JustReadItPlease
Summary: Bella already knew of the existence of one supernatural creature. The wolves were like her family. When the Cullen clan moves to Forks she's forced to reevaluate what she's been told about them. It doesn't help that Rosalie has taken it upon herself to be the one to scare Bella into submission.
Relationships: Rosalie Hale/Bella Swan
Comments: 58
Kudos: 290





	1. Chapter 1

The dinner table was crowded with all sorts of dishes as Bella took her place next to Jacob. She watched in amusement as the boy quickly stacked his plate with as much as he could fit. Leah and Seth were not far behind, following his lead. It was like this every Sunday at their annual dinner party on the Reservation. Sue had to make enough food to feed a small village or the three would still be hungry. Bella understood why, though. They were wolves, shapeshifters, and their metabolism ran faster than a regular humans did. She’d found out about them a few months after moving to Forks two summers ago. Sam, the pack leader, had been angry at first. He was convinced she’d run and tell everyone their secrets. That never happened. Even Charlie, who was sitting across from her with Billy, was none the wiser still. She kept their secret because that’s what family did.

“Bella, you might wanna grab some food before it's all gone,” Sue spoke, drawing her out of her thoughts. She smiled at the older woman in thanks before filling her plate. The room was quiet as everyone enjoyed their meals. Bella had never eaten anything as delicious as Sue’s cooking. Throughout the week she found herself crazing it. Her and Charlie usually just ordered pizza or went to the Diner on any other night. Despite how much food there was by the time everyone was finished the plates were practically wiped clean. Jacob, Seth, and Leah seemed to be actually full for once, if their content faces were anything to go by. Charlie cleaned his mouth before smiling at Sue.

“I’m stuffed! Once again, Sue, you’ve really outdone yourself.” Bella couldn’t help but chuckle at her dad’s words. He said the same thing after every dinner. He was a man of simple pleasures and Bella loved him all the more for it. It was hard to think back to when she first moved to Forks and things were awkward between them. She was in a bad place back then. A  _ really _ bad place. Things were better now, though. One big improvement was her relationship with her dad. Jacob nudged her and she turned her attention towards him. He was looking down at the slice of ham that was still sitting on her plate. She rolled her eyes and used her fork to transfer the meat to his plate silently. The way his eyes lit up at the gesture was an amazing sight. 

“So Bella, I meant to ask you earlier,” Billy started before everyone could get up from the table. “How’s school been treating you? Senior year is a big deal.” It was sweet of him to always show such an interest in her. Jacob and the others all went to school on the Reservation. So she attended Forks High all by herself. 

She shrugged her shoulders before answering. “I’m enjoying it so far. It honestly just feels the same as last year. Same friends and annoying teachers.” Billy smiled at her and nodded in understanding. 

“Yeah, we don’t get many new faces in Forks ever.” This comment from Billy seemed to remind Charlie of something as he put down his beer.

“Actually, Bells, you’re probably gonna be seeing some new faces around tomorrow. A new family just moved in and their kids are going to Forks. The Cullens,” he explained. Bella watched as everyone at the table tensed up at the name her father just spoke. Charlie didn’t take any notice as he continued on. “I met Carlisle, their father, at the hospital today. He seems like a good man. All their kids were adopted by him and his wife.” Bella barely registered his words as she started to feel Jake begin to shake next to her. A quick glance over to Leah and Seth showed they were responding the same way. She knew she had to get them outside before one of them shifted.

“That’s great dad. Hopefully, they’ll be really friendly,” she started and noticed Billy and Sue staring at the others. “Um, we’re gonna go and catch the sunset down by the beach. Sorry to eat and run,” she directed the last of her speech at Sue, who nodded slightly at her. The older woman clearly understood what Bella was trying to do. As Bella stood she prayed that the other three would follow her lead. Jacob was the first to slowly stand before the other two followed suit. 

Billy turned towards Charlie to try and draw his attention away from the suspicious activity. “You kids have fun. Me and Charlie have a case of beer that’s calling our names.” Bella barely registered his words as she made her way towards the front door with the others. None of them spoke until they were safely outside of the house. All of them in a silent agreement to just continue walking towards the treeline. Bella could see that they were still tense but the shaking had luckily stopped. When the house was no longer in sight Bella finally stopped and turned towards them.

“What the hell was that back there? I thought you were gonna wolf out right inside the dining room,” she questioned, waving her arms around. Leah was the first to step forward, her face looking grim.

“You’re about to be attending school with bloodsuckers!” She yelled loudly, causing Bella to flinch back a step. It took her a second to process the girl’s words before she understood. Vampires. The Quileute legends spoke of them often and Bella knew the wolves hated them. She just thought she’d never actually meet one though.

“Holy shit, what? How do you know that they’re vampires? All of them?” Bella could hear her own voice becoming hysterical. There were only so many supernatural elements she could take. Seth shook his head at her and clenched his fists tightly.

“There’s seven of them all together. We have a treaty with them. They stay off our land and we don’t kill them,” he explained before pausing tensely. “I wish we would, though. They return every few years. Forks has the perfect weather for their kind.”

Bella crossed her arms and accepted the fact that she probably wasn’t going to be able to sleep tonight. “They kill people don’t they? How can they just be in a classroom like that?” Jacob let out a chuckle that held no humor at her words.

“These leeches are a little different, Bells. They call themselves vegetarians,” he scoffed at the thought. “Instead of drinking from humans they chose to drink from animals. The blood-lust is still there, hiding, they’re dangerous.  _ Don’t  _ let their diet fool you.” The tone of his voice was deadly serious and Bella found it a bit unnerving. The four of them were constantly joking around with each other. The situation was usually dire if they were having a serious conversation like this. She was tempted to go back to Billy’s house and tell Charlie she wasn’t feeling well. That way she could stay home tomorrow and avoid the Cullens all together.

“So what do I do?” Bella asked hesitantly. The three wolves looked at each other at her question. They seemed to be just as stumped as her. Leah was the first to speak up.

“I guess just play it cool and don’t draw attention to yourself. If any of them try to talk to you then maybe let it slip that you’re close with the pack. God, I’m gonna be so worried about you all day now,” she added as an afterthought. Bella rolled her eyes but smiled at her friends. 

“Guys, I’m sure it’ll be fine. It’s not like they can afford to go ape shit and slaughter the whole school.” Bella didn’t know if she was trying to convince them or herself more. “How can I tell it’s them when I see them?” She knew most vampires had red eyes but since the Cullens were attending her school she assumed theirs would be different. Red wasn’t exactly a common eye color among humans.

Jacob smirked at her slightly. “Oh don’t worry. You’ll know exactly when you see them. They’re gonna stick out like a sore thumb at Forks.” He seemed to be taking comfort in the fact that a lot of attention would be on the new clan. 

Seth reached out and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Seriously, Bells, be careful. You’re already mixed up with several dangerous beasts. You don’t need to add anymore.” Bella smiled in understanding and knew he would protect her with his life if it came to it.

“I’ll text you guys and update you throughout the day,” she promised and glanced around at the now dark forest. It was hard to be scared with the company she currently had. By herself, though, she’d be terrified. The dark always was one of her biggest fears. When she had flat-lined all those months ago all she saw was an overwhelming darkness. Nothing, just black. A shiver ran through her at the memory. Jacob seemed to take notice at her sudden mood change and nudged her.

“Come on, let’s head back before Charlie gets too drunk and we have to carry him to the truck.” He didn’t wait for any replies as he began walking back towards the house. Bella was grateful that he didn’t make a big deal out of her small episodes. Instead, finding ways to subtly take care of things. If she had any interest in boys at all she knew Jacob would be her soulmate.

About halfway back Seth’s stomach let out a loud grumble. “Do you think Sue has any of those pastries she had yesterday left? I’m starved.” 

Even as she laughed along with the others her thoughts didn’t stray far from the Cullens.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone reading:)

The next morning Bella’s alarm woke her up an hour before she had to leave. She groaned and could already feel a headache forming. Sleep didn’t come easy to her last night and the little she did sleep was riddled with nightmares. It was what usually happened when she found herself in a particularly stressful situation. After sitting up she glanced around her room. It was a bit messy and she knew she’d have to clean it after school. If she survived through the school day. The Cullens would most likely be there today. She stood from her bed and walked across the room to her private bathroom. It was something she was grateful for. No longer having to share a bathroom. That luxury was not afforded to her in Phoenix.

The first thing she reached for was the medicine cabinet. Overtime she had learned that if she didn’t take her meds first thing in the morning her whole day was off. Whether it be from a stomach ache or something more mentally painful. Once that was out of the way she continued on with the rest of her morning routine. The whole time she dreaded the school day ahead of her. She didn’t feel safe with her friends. Jake and the others were strong and had the ability to fight, while she was just a squishy human.

By the time she made it downstairs for breakfast there was no sign of Charlie anywhere. It wasn’t unusual for him to be at work already regardless of how early it was. So she sat down at the table after grabbing a banana from the counter and pulled out her phone. Of course, the other three of her friends were up as well for school at the Reservation. They were going back and forth in the group-chat despite the fact she hadn’t responded.

_ Paul: Good luck today! Don’t get sucked dry! _

_ Leah: You idiot this isn’t something we should be laughing about.  _

_ Jacob: Don’t get sucked dry he says. Kinky;) _

_ Paul: lol, I guess vamps are kinda kinky if you think about it. _

_ Leah: Oh my GOD, I can’t believe I have to deal with you two on a daily basis. _

Bella laughed at their text thread before replying with a simple laughing emoji. She figured she’d be updating them throughout the day anyway. If something did happen then she’d definitely need backup. When she finished her small breakfast she stood up and made her way out the door. The drive to Fork was only about fifteen minutes but she found herself lost in thought the whole time. When she finally pulled into the parking lot she barely even registered that she’d arrived. The only thing that brought her back to herself was seeing her friends across the parking lot. They were in their usual spot. She could already see them laughing and kidding around.

They were all good people, even if Mike still hit on her constantly. She enjoyed their company and would often hangout with them outside of school. Angela was her favorite, though. They’d often go to check out bookstores together and Bella found any conversations with her stimulating. She couldn’t really say the same for the other three, but they were kind and that's what mattered to Bella. Most importantly, they didn’t know of her past and that was a big bonus. Eric was the first to notice her as she made her way over to the group with a smile in place.

She waved gently and tried not to dart her eyes around too much. She couldn’t shake the ever present anxiety she was feeling. “Hey, guys. Good weekend I take it? None of you look hungover or anything,” she joked, trying to make conversation. The way Mike’s eyes trailed up and down her body made her internally cringe. Nevertheless, she just ignored him and focused on the others.

“I was babysitting all weekend so I wouldn’t know,” Jessica complained with a roll of her eyes. The girl was always finding different ways to make money. Bella knew she had somewhat of an online shopping addiction. Jessica was the only person in Forks who kept her books in a Gucci school bag.

Eric gave her one of his signature dorky smiles before adding, “me and Mike just gamed all weekend.” Mike shot the boy a glare from his place next to him. It was clear he thought that answer sounded too lame for his tastes. Before he could comment on it Angela spoke up.

“Holy shit, look. The new kids just pulled in.” She pointed to the far end of the lot where most people didn’t park. Bella immediately felt her palms start to sweat as she turned to look. There were two separate cars, both obviously expensive. One red and silver parked next to each other. Bella could faintly hear Mike give an appreciative whistle as she continued to stare. The doors on the silver car all opened at once and four people stepped out. Her eyes were having trouble processing as she tried to take them all in at once. They were all models in their own way. She could hear her friends talking about them but she blocked them out. Those things were vampires, predators.

The biggest one held an easy smile on his face as he looked around the lot. He was terrifying and looked like his muscles would rip his clothes any second. The other two, a short woman and a taller man, were holding hands and only seemed to have eyes for each other. It was hard to think badly of them when they were looking at each other with such care. The woman, while physically perfect, didn’t seem like a killer. But Bella knew better than to get sucked into it. Jake had explained that their looks were part of their entrapment. It was easier to capture people if they trusted you. Lastly, there was a slim man with a full head of hair. He looked gloomy and like he didn’t want to be there in the slightest. She figured maybe he didn’t get to eat his morning deer before school. Or whatever they were ‘eating’ out in the woods, she thought bitterly. 

The sound of a door closing brought her attention to the red car. It was the last Cullen, a tall blonde girl. She was dressed in what looked like a full designer outfit. Someone who could surely give Jessica a run for her money. Beautiful didn’t even begin to explain her appearance. The scowl on her face only made her more attractive. Suddenly, Bella was having trouble breathing. It was like the other Cullens didn’t exist as she stared at the girl. 

The trance was broken as the bell for homeroom rang, making her jump. She gave one last fleeting glance back before following her friends inside the building. 


	3. Chapter 3

The first three classes Bella had were solely spent on thinking about the Cullens. None of them had made an appearance since she’d seen them in the lot before school. She knew it was only a matter of time before she had classes with one, if not more, of them. It was a nerve racking waiting game. One that had certainly caused her to fail the pop quiz in Mr. Jones’ class. Despite the fact that they were all beautiful beyond belief, they seemed fairly normal. She figured that was to be expected, though. They couldn’t exactly show up to school with blood dripping from their chins or red eyes. She briefly wondered if it was hard for them to be around so many humans. How long was it going to take until one of them had a slip up? The thought made her shiver slightly.

The blonde one. She didn’t look friendly in the slightest, and yet, Bella felt drawn to her. Her classmates had obviously taken notice of her beauty as well. She could hear bits and pieces of people's conversations. None of them knew any of the Cullens’ names yet but that didn’t stop them from gossiping. Small towns were easily entertained by situations like these. Not much happened in Forks, at least, that’s what people believed. When Bella moved back to her childhood after her ‘incident’ she expected it to be dreary and quiet. It was for the most part but Bella felt a little differently now after she learned of the wolves. If only people knew they were cohabiting with, now two, supernatural beings. 

The bell rang and Bella let out a sigh of frustration. It seems like she isn’t going to be retaining anything the teacher’s were saying for a while. She made her way down the hall towards her History class at a slower pace then normal. There was still no sign of her new classmates. Maybe she would get lucky and only have to see them briefly during the school’s lunch period. It would definitely be safer that way. If one of them did eventually lose control then her neck wouldn’t be within biting distance. One of her poor classmates was gonna have a really rough day if the Cullens wanted a snack. She could at least possibly survive long enough until the wolves showed up to help. Just as she was starting to feel better her good mood was dashed. She walked into her class and was immediately met with the site of the pixie vampire. The seat she had chosen was right next to Bella’s. They’d be sharing the two person table it seemed.

Bella immediately felt herself start to tense up at the realization. There was nothing she could do about it. No other seats were available and even if there was she wouldn’t be allowed to just move like that. Bella started to slowly walk over to the other girl, who was staring out the window currently. The only comfort she felt was the fact that there were at least eighteen other humans around her. Maybe the vampire would be able to keep her cool for the hour Bella had to spend with her. As Bella pulled her chair out to sit the girl finally turned around and flashed her a smile. Bella felt her blood run cold and couldn’t even manage to smile in return. This reaction didn’t seem to deter the other girl, though.

“Hi! I’m Alice Cullen,” she said in a cheery voice and reached out for a handshake. Bella, who was now seated, just stared silently in return. Her fight or flight response was currently going haywire. Alice eventually lowered her hand but the smile stayed in place. “What’s your name?” She asked after Bella continued to imitate a statue. 

“Bella,” she answered and tried to keep her voice from shaking. Alice nodded and didn’t show any indication of finding Bella strange. Bella wished the teacher would just start class already but he was too busy flirting with the secretary. She’d come to drop off some papers and now the class was still loudly talking.

“That’s a pretty name. Me and my siblings are trying to get to know the locals,” Alice said, gesturing around even though her family wasn’t there.

Bella let out a scoff at her words and spoke before thinking. “So you guys are trying to build a dinner menu then?” The minute the comment left her mouth Bella tensed up. She was an idiot. An idiot with a death wish. Alice’s smile dropped as she stared at her with wide eyes. 

“Sorry, I don’t understand what you mean,” she let out and Bella could tell she was trying to rein in her emotions. Bella knew she’d already said too much and shrugged her shoulders.

“Listen, just don’t get hungry during the brief time we spend together and we’ll be cool.” Bella didn’t know why she was trying to bargain with a vampire. She didn’t stand a chance against even one of them, let alone a whole clan. Alice seemed at a loss for words as she continued to stare at Bella in shock. “I eat a lot of crap so I assume my arteries are pretty clogged. Unless that tastes good to you guys? Like red ice cream.” She at least had the decency to keep her voice lower as she spoke. It wouldn’t be productive if the whole town knew about what actually went bump in the night. 

Alice’s face held a frown and she looked on the verge of tears. “How did you know?” Her voice matched Bella’s low tone. 

“I spend a lot of time on the Reservation,” she stated and hoped that Alice picked up on what she meant. If the way her eyes became angry was any indication, she understood. “They’re my family so they warned me about you guys.” 

“Did they tell you that we’re different? We mean no harm,” Alice reasoned, the desperation clear in her voice. Bella turned away from Alice as she watched the secretary finally leave the room.

“I find that incredibly hard to believe,” Bella answered before the teacher began telling everyone to quiet down. Their conversation was over for now. Throughout the class Bella continued to glance at Alice out of the corner of her eye. The girl was stiffly sitting and stared down at the table most of the time. What Bella had told her had obviously shaken her up. She definitely wasn't expecting it. When the period finally ended Bella got up without sending a glance back. Alice didn’t chase after her. Once in the safety of the hallway she let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. Her shoulders stayed tense as she pulled out her phone.

_ Had one of the vamps in my class and may have panicked a little. Sort of threatened her but I’m sure it’s fine. _

Bella didn’t believe her own text and hoped that her friends wouldn’t overreact. She put her phone back in her pocket to head to her next class. It was going to be a long day.

When lunch rolled around she made her way into the cafeteria to meet up with her friends. She didn’t bother grabbing any of the poor excuses for food this school offered. Instead, she opted to just eat once she got home. At the table everyone was already in full gossip mode about the Cullens. Bella quickly looked around the cafeteria but none of them were anywhere to be seen. Briefly, she wondered if Alice was going to inform the others of their interaction.

“I’m telling you, Edward is a certified hottie,” Jessica stated like it was a very important matter. Bella sat down and couldn’t help involve herself in the gossip. She needed to know who she was dealing with.

“Which one is he? I’ve only had class with one of them. Alice.” Bella could see the excitement in Jessica’s eyes at the question. The girl was clearly loving all this new information she was getting. Angela and Eric both rolled their eyes playfully. 

“Okay so, you already know Alice. She’s dating the one with the gorgeous curly blonde hair. His name’s Jasper. I had class with him and he was really quiet the whole time. Definitely has that whole mysterious thing going for him,” she paused to take a breath. “Edward, is the tall dark and handsome one. Super cute and rumored to be single. Emmett is the one with all the muscles. Mike said he talked to him a little and he was funny. A lot less standoffish than his siblings. It’s a shame, I don’t think they’re gonna be in lunch. Probably stuck still filling out forms in the office,” Jessica finished with a pout. Bella was becoming more and more convinced they weren’t there because of her.

“Jess, you forgot about Rosalie,” Mike added in and wiggled his eyebrows. “She’s the tall blonde with legs for days. So hot.” Jessica huffed at his words and sent him a glare.  _ Rosalie _ . The girl that had frozen her in place earlier. 

“What’s she like? Anyone have class with her?” Bella couldn’t help it as the questions came out rapidly. Eric flinched noticeably and raised his hands a little.

“I tried to introduce myself and she told me to leave her alone. She’s scary, like really scary,” he explained and laughed a little at his own words. Angela smiled at him and rubbed his arm lightly. When the conversation turned to weekend plans Bella tuned back out. She discreetly pulled her phone out underneath the table, away from prying eyes. 

_ Jacob: You were around them for a literal day and already probably pissed them off. _

_ Seth: Hell yeah Bells! Put those bloodsuckers in their place! We got your back. _

_ Jacob: We’ll be at your house after school so come right home. Try not to die before then:) _

She sighed and put her phone back into her pocket. It was turning out to be a really eventful day after all.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anyone else try to fit the whole fanfic in one google doc but then it gets too hard to manage? Like I swear after page 10 google docs freaks out. Anyways, enjoy this update:)

When Bella pulled her truck into the driveway she could already see the three wolves out front. They were sitting on the front step in various relaxed positions. They at least looked calm and not angry. When she got out of the truck Jacob walked over to her quickly. He was obviously checking her for any injuries. 

Leah laughed at him despite the situation. “Jake, you know if something happened she’d come out with more than just a scratch. You’d know if she was hurt.” He ignored Leah and seemed satisfied when he found her in regular condition. They both walked back over to the group as Bella pulled out her keys. Charlie was luckily still at work so they’d be able to talk freely.

“Come on, we can talk inside. I’m starving,” she said, moving past them and up the porch steps. They followed her into the kitchen and sat down at the small wooden table. Bella began searching through the cabinets for something to snack on. 

Seth tried to put his feet up on the table but Leah quickly knocked them back down. He just glared at her before turning his attention to Bella. “So what did you say to the leech? I bet you had her running scared,” he joked. She turned back around towards him after grabbing a can of pringles.

“I kinda just blurted out that I knew what they were and that I hung out with you guys. She only seemed angry when I mentioned you. I think I upset her,” Bella explained and cracked the lid off of the can she was holding. Thinking back on it now Bella did feel a little guilty for immediately attacking Alice. It was hard to remember that they were vampires after all. They were practically the enemy.

“Good,” Leah answered sternly. “Now they know that we’re watching them and won’t tolerate any bullshit.” Bella swallowed the chip she was chewing before answering.

“I don’t know, she seemed nice before I sort of insulted her.” Leah was already starting to look at her with an exasperated expression. “I know, don’t say it, they’re vampires. I get it. But you said it yourselves, they only kill animals.” The group of them had gone a whole day without killing any of her classmates. Maybe they’d make it through the rest of the school year in the same fashion. Seth shook his head and stood up from the table abruptly.

“They’re bad news, dude. You don’t know all the legends like we do. The elders drill that shit into your head once you shift. Just because they’re drinking Bambi’s blood doesn’t change things. They’re playing human,” he finished, the whole time pacing around the room.

“Playing human? I seem to know three other people who are doing the same thing,” Bella sarcastically stated and looked between the three of them. Jacob clenched his fist and she could tell her was starting to get angry with her.

“It’s not the same, Bells. Just..” he paused, at a loss for words. “Don’t let them get anymore acquainted with you then they already are.” She continued to eat instead of giving him any type of response. They were a stubborn group and she understood where they were coming from. Sam, the pack’s alpha, was bullheaded and aggressive. Ever since Bella had met him she really hated him. He ran his pack with an iron fist and Bella could only imagine how he felt about the Cullen clan. If he could, he’d probably execute them one by one. It’s just the way he was. It made Bella worry because her friends couldn’t say no to him. He held a lot of power over them and it was worrisome. The way he acted was troubling.

It wasn’t until later that she realized the three of them were probably reporting back to Sam whatever she told them. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bella knew it wasn’t the best idea to go walking in the woods alone. It was her favorite thing to do when she wanted to be alone, though. In the daylight, the woods were peaceful. The path behind her house never got too overgrown and was perfect for her. She could manage it without tripping and breaking her head on a rock. The birds were chirping loudly despite the cloudy weather as she walked. Most of the vegetation around her was wet with the light rain they had earlier. It smelled fresh, one of her favorite smells. Charlie wouldn’t be home until dinnertime and she figured she’d be back by then. Maybe if she didn’t stay out too long she could cook him something.

The talk earlier with her friends had been on her mind since they had left an hour ago. It didn’t sit well with her that they were so extremely against the Cullens. They didn’t even seem to care about her opinion on things. Instead opted to just tell her what to do and how to respond to her predicament. She had to push away the intrusive thoughts that were bursting into her head.  _ They don’t actually like you. You’re nothing to them. _ It all just continued to make her stressed and the old emotions she’d feared would rear their ugly head. She refused to ever allow herself to go back to the way she was before Forks. Trudging through the mud, she pushed those thoughts aside and continued on.

She wasn’t that far into her journey when she started to feel the prickling anxiety creep up. It suddenly didn’t feel as calm as before. It felt like someone or something was watching her. She continued down the path with more caution than before. Hopefully it was just her brain playing tricks on her. 

“Hey!” A female voice rang out behind her, causing her to jump and spin around. Her breath suddenly quickened when she saw who it was. Rosalie stood a few feet away looking at her angrily. Bella was frozen in place once again and knew there was no point in running. She’d be caught within seconds. “I believe you met my sister Alice earlier.” Her voice held so much malice it made Bella flinch. The two continued to size each other up.

“Shit,” was all Bella could manage to mumble out. It made Rosalie let out a laugh that held no real humor. She started to slowly walk towards Bella, who had to stop herself from backing away.

“You upset Alice and I don’t take threats like that lightly. I don’t give a shit about your puppies,” Rosalie spat out, referring to the pack. She was still inching closer to Bella. “If you tell anyone about us or make it hard for us to stay here I  _ will _ kill you.” Rosalie stopped when she was standing directly in front of Bella. The birds around them had gone silent and Bella could hear her own heartbeat. Even being threatened by Rosalie wasn’t scaring her the way it should. Her emotions were confusing towards this girl.

Bella tried to call her bluff. “You won’t kill me. You can’t because of the treaty.” She knew she was using the wolves as a sort of shield but it’s all she had. Her human abilities wouldn’t help in a situation like this. Rosalie just sneered at her and narrowed her eyes.

“I told you I don’t care about them. They don’t control me. Treaty or no treaty. Watch your back,” she finished, finally uncrossing her arms to fists at her sides. Before Bella could stop herself she started laughing. This did nothing but make Rosalie even angrier. “What the hell about this do you find funny?” When Bella finally composed herself she shrugged her shoulders.

“I’m in the woods being threatened by a vampire who looks like a supermodel. You even have heels on! I just got done talking to my friends. Those ones turn into giant beasts. It’s all comedic if you ask me,” Bella finished her speech and wondered if she was going crazy. Rosalie just stared at her in disbelief before rolling her eyes.

“You’re gonna get yourself killed. You understand that right?” she questioned, though Bella knew it was rhetorical. “Humans are really idiots. Stay away from me and my family.” The malice was back in her voice again. Before Bella could answer a feminine voice from overhead spoke up.

“Rose, you can stop threatening her now. I appreciate the guard dog act but we both know it’s fake,” Alice said before jumping down from a nearby tree. If she had been human the impact would’ve broken her legs. Rosalie growled at her sister and Bella looked between the two of them. “Hey, Bella,” she greeted and ignored Rosalie all together. That seemed to be the final straw for the blonde. She was gone before Bella could even register her leaving, they were naturally fast.

“Alice, look, I’m sorry about earlier,” Bella apologized quietly. The judgmental tone of the wolves was still ringing around in her head. She didn’t want to be like Sam, hateful and scared. “I guess I just kinda listened to what my friends told me and ran with it,” she explained and Alice gave her a warm smile.

“It’s okay, I forgive you. Most humans don’t know anything about our world so it’s understandable.” Alice paused for a moment as if hearing something Bella couldn’t. “Just ignore Rose. She’s very protective of our family. I promise she won’t hurt you, though. It’s all talk.” Bella smiled despite herself and didn’t know if she fully believed that or not.

“I think you might be wrong about that but for now I trust you.” Alice lit up at her words and clapped her hands together.

“I think we’re gonna be  _ great _ friends! You should come over and meet everyone. See that we’re not so scary after all.” Alice winked at her and Bella could hear the sarcasm in her voice. Going to a house full of vampires by herself would definitely piss her friends off. She figured if the Cullens truly did see her as a threat they would’ve killed her by now. Something was pulling her towards them. Bella just couldn’t figure out what it was.

“Okay, I’ll come over. Even if it’s just to see if you guys sleep in coffins or not.” Bella hoped that Alice wouldn't be offended by her stupid joke. She didn’t want to upset the shorter girl again. Alice luckily laughed and shook her head gently.

“For the record, we don’t sleep ever,” She explained and Bella’s eyes widened in surprise. It was hard to imagine not being tired ever. Staying up throughout the night and all day. “I’m glad you’ll come, though. I’ll tell the others and give you the details at school tomorrow.” At her words Bella wondered what she was getting into. “You should start to head back. You don’t know what lurks out here after the sun goes down,” Alice said before disappearing in the blink of an eye. Bella was suddenly standing alone and was more confused than ever.

There were two things she was positively certain of. One was that her confrontation with Rosalie wasn’t going to leave her head anytime soon. The second was that the wolves could absolutely not find out about her going to the Cullen's’ house.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If anyone was wondering the title of this fic is from an All Time Low song.

The next morning Bella awoke to the feeling of someone shaking her arm. She had slept better last night after making amends with Alice. Rosalie also made several appearances as well. She mostly just yelled and scowled a lot, but Bella would take what she could get. The shaking continued until Bella cracked one eye open to see her dad standing there.

“Hey, sorry to wake you but the school called,” he said, barely moving out of the way before she abruptly sat up. Her immediate thought was that the Cullens  _ had  _ done something. The janitor was probably mopping up blood as they spoke.

“It’s okay. What, um, happened?” The panic in her voice was obvious but thankfully Charlie chose to ignore it. 

“Nothing bad. Just a broken water pipe and a whole lotta flooding. They closed for the day to fix it.” Just as he finished talking the alarm started blaring around them. She reached over to stop it before nodding her head at him.

“Thanks for letting me know,” she smiled slightly at him. He started making his way towards the door before turning back to her.

“Why don’t you get some more sleep since you got the day off. I’ll be at the station if you need me.” As he left the room, closing the door behind him, Bella flopped back onto her pillow. Since there was no school then that meant no Cullens. She didn’t know how to feel about that yet. It was obviously a stupid thing to want to accomplish. Entering the home of a bunch of undead vampires wasn’t ideal. She never did things the easy way, though. Before she could dwell on it too much she heard her phone buzz next to her. When she unlocked the screen she was surprised to see a text from an unknown number instead of her usual group-chat. 

_ Hey Bella, it’s Alice. Since there’s no school today I figured it’d be a perfect time for u to meet the fam. _

Bella squinted at the text in confusion. How did Alice even get her number? Another text came through a second later.

_ I already know you’ll agree to come so I’ll be at ur house in two hours. See you soon! _

So Alice somehow knew her address and her phone number. Also, that she was going to want to go into their house. Instead of bothering with a text back she saved the number and stood up. She currently had a little less than two hours to prepare herself for the day ahead. Her first thought was to go to the church down the block for some holy water. Although, that might just be a myth created for TV. It would probably just make them laugh if they were presented with it in real life. Instead, she decided to take a shower. As she made her way into the bathroom she quickly took her meds before continuing. The whole shower was spent thinking about what she could wear over to their house. They might appreciate it if their possible next meal came well plated.

There was also the issue of Jacob, Seth and Leah not knowing that she was going there. They would still be attending school at the Reservation today. It would be easy to go over to the Cullens without them questioning what she was doing. She felt bad lying to them but there was really no other option. If they found out about her going they would freak out. Hopefully, she didn’t need to call them for help or anything. Getting caught red handed, figuratively  _ and _ literally, wouldn’t be ideal.

By the time she got out of the shower her hands were pruned and the sun was fully up. As much as it could be behind dozens of clouds. A quick glance at the clock showed she had about an hour left. She moved to her closet and picked a simple outfit. There weren't really any fancy clothes she could wear in there anyway. Fashion definitely wasn't one of her talents. She took pride in her appearance but still usually came out looking like a librarian. Seth made fun of her for it often. There was no point in trying to manage her hair as it had a mind of its own. Blow Drying would be the easiest way to deal with it.

Just as she finished cleaning up her room a little bit there was a honk from outside. She walked to her window to see a yellow Porsche sitting in her driveway. Alice waved up at her from her spot behind the wheel. She waved back before quickly making her way down the steps. Any of her neighbors hopefully wouldn’t take notice of the flashy car. Bella refused to be the center of any more petty small town gossip. Once she was situated in the car Alice smiled at her sweetly.

“Good morning, are you ready to meet the others?” Alice reversed out of the driveway with such speed that the tires screeched. It temporarily distracted Bella as she stared over at the girl in shock. Her speed had only picked up more as they drove down the road. Alice took notice and waved her left hand around gently. “Vampire reflexes allow us to handle cars really well. I could drive with my eyes closed. Wanna see?”

“No!” Bella yelled out before Alice had a chance to demonstrate. Alice just laughed at her but at least put both hands back on the wheel. Bella urgently buckled her seatbelt. “To answer your question, I don’t really know what to feel. My friends would be pissed if they knew what I was currently doing.” It was weighing heavily on her mind that she had to lie to them. 

Alice shrugged and glanced over at Bella. “The pack needs to loosen up but it’s never gonna happen. They would love it if one of us were to slip up.” She pulled down a side road as she spoke. It was a dirt road that Bella had never really noticed before. She figured they were getting close.

“Have any of you? Slipped up, I mean.” Bella couldn’t help but ask the question. As the treeline broke Bella gasped at the giant house she saw. It was amazing and Bella couldn’t believe that Forks even had properties like it. Most of the houses in town were rundown and falling apart. Alice pulled up to the giant garage that contained a bunch of other expensive cars. Bella felt like she entered a movie set.

“That question is a little hard to answer. We all have our stories,” Alice answered, even though it fell on mostly deaf ears. Bella was too taken by everything she was seeing. They both got out of the car just as the door leading to the house flew open. It made Bella jump from the noise of it smacking against the wall.

Emmett stood there with an excited grin on his face. “Bella, welcome to the dungeon! It’s great to eat you. I mean, meet you.” He laughed at his own joke before returning back inside. Alice just let out a huff of annoyance and dragged Bella the rest of the way into the house. The inside was just as beautiful as the outside was. Bella tried to take everything in until she was pulled to a stop in the living room. She turned her head and was met with six faces of various degrees of enthusiasm. Her eyes instinctively drifted to Rosalie, who was giving her an annoyed stare.

The motherly woman she hadn’t met before stepped forward drawing her attention back. “Hello dear, it’s nice to finally meet you. I’m Esme and this is my husband, Carlisle.” She gestured to the man next to her. They were both extremely attractive like the others. It was a little dizzying. 

“Nice to meet you,” Bella politely said, waving awkwardly. She could feel the eyes of everyone on her currently. Everyone else went around afterwards introducing themselves even though Bella already technically knew them. It felt peaceful. Like a truce of sorts. Rosalie was the only one who stayed quiet and continued to watch on silently. 

Alice had stepped forward next to her for some moral support. “I had a vision. I knew this would go well,” she stated happily. Bella was momentarily confused and turned towards her. Alice just shrugged. “I can see the future.” The shock on Bella’s face made everyone chuckle, besides Rosalie. “There’s a lot you need to know about us, come on.”

Before Bella had time to say goodbye to the others she was being pulled upstairs. This house was giant and all of them were obviously living there with each other comfortably. Alice brought her into a room at the end of the hall and shut the door. It was stylishly decorated and there were hangers with clothes on them everywhere.

Alice sat down on the bed. “So, how are you holding up so far?” Bella smiled at her.

“Good, I think. Haven’t been eaten yet so that's a plus.” After Bella spoke she could’ve sworn she heard laughter from downstairs.

The next few hours were spent talking. Mostly Bella would ask a question and Alice would explain. She asked about anything that popped into her mind. Could vampires eat regular food? Did they have natural night vision? What animal tasted the best? Bella was happy that Alice seemed eager to answer all her questions. She actually felt relaxed and didn’t even realize it. The shorter girl was easy to spend time with and Bella enjoyed her company. It was only when Bella’s stomach grumbled that Alice got up to see what they had in the kitchen. Esme apparently kept food down there to keep up appearances.

“Human.” Bella didn’t even need to look up from her spot on the bed to know who spoke. Rosalie’s voice was sort of ingrained into her brain now. She did smirk slightly at the awful nickname. 

“Vampire,” she greeted back sarcastically before looking up. Her breath caught in her throat at the site of Rosalie in lounging clothes. The girl still looked like a model and Bella’s brain was having trouble processing. 

Rosalie raised one eyebrow at her and she could feel a blush start to rise to her cheeks. “I wanted to apologize for the other day in the woods,” she spoke and sounded in-genuine. “It was wrong of me to threaten you like that.” Bella just scoffed.

“Let me guess. Carlisle told you that you had to play nice with me,” Bella guessed confidently. She could hear Emmett let out a loud laugh from down the hall. It was weird that everyone in the house could currently hear them talking. Rosalie didn’t find it as amusing and crossed her arms tightly.

“You’re infuriating, you know that?” She was obviously angry but Bella couldn’t find it in herself to be scared. “This is all dangerous. We’re dangerous for you and you’re dangerous to us. Humans aren’t supposed to know about all of this.” The speech reminded Bella a lot of when Sam found out she knew about the shifters. He was pissed that she knew but she wasn’t going to let him scare her into submission. Sam didn’t have a hold over her like he did with the pack. 

“I assure you, I’m more of a danger to myself than anyone else,” Bella responded easily. It was the same thing she had said to Sam at the time. 

Rosalie looked confused at this. “What does that mean?” If she told Rosalie about her past then everyone else would hear. Alice was clearly giving them space based on the fact she hadn’t returned yet. Bella hated talking about her time in Phoenix but she wanted Rosalie to trust her. Needed her to trust her, if she was being honest with herself.

“Let’s just say, before I moved here I was a little...unstable. It ended with a trip to the hospital and I almost didn’t make it out again. If you catch my drift,” Bella hesitantly explained to the blonde. Rosalie’s face held an unreadable expression as she uncrossed her arms. The room was silent as the two girls continued to stare at one another. The rest of the house was silent but Bella knew they had probably heard what she’d said.

“You’re not gonna try that again are you?” Rosalie asked so suddenly that it startled Bella. Her eyes darted around Bella’s face as if searching for the answer. “Alice told you she can see the future right? So don’t even bother attempting anything,” she threatened. 

“No, I’m a lot better now, different. I wouldn’t do that to Charlie again,” Bella answered before Rosalie could get more worked up. She felt a strong desire to reassure her that she was telling the truth. “I promise.” Rosalie nodded her head, still looking tense. With one last glance at Bella she turned and left the room. Bella just continued to stare at the spot until Alice popped into her vision. The girl held a smile on her face and Bella assumed she wasn’t going to comment on what just happened.

“Well, I think it’s time we get you home. Charlie will be back soon and be wondering where you are,” she explained as if she’d seen it in a vision. Bella could only nod her head, still thinking of Rosalie. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone reviewing and your kind words!

Bella wasn’t surprised that the drive back to her house was just as aggressive. Alice seemed to be in an invisible race at all times. She somehow managed to hit every green-light without even trying. The music from the stereo was also blaring and Bella hoped her dad wasn’t patrolling currently. It wouldn’t be good for her image if he was pulling her over with someone he’d never met. Bella was thankful that Alice didn’t make any comments about her talk with Rosalie. It wasn’t something she liked to share, but with Rosalie it felt different. The blonde was confusing Bella to no end and she didn’t know how to react.

As they made the turn onto Bella’s street the music was abruptly cut off by Alice. A quick glance showed that she’d gone completely stiff next to Bella. 

Alice turned towards her with pursed lips and shrugged. “I think your friends figured out you were with us,” she explained lightly. Bella whipped her head around just as they pulled up to her house. Jacob and Seth were standing on her front lawn, both shaking aggressively. Leah was nowhere to be found, perhaps they hadn’t told her. She figured maybe she should have texted them some type of excuse. It was too late for that now, though. As Bella exited the car, she was surprised as Alice got out with her.

Jacob was the first to charge forward. “We came to see if you wanted to hangout, but I guess you’re already preoccupied,” he spat out venomously. The glare he sent Alice’s way was deadly. “You can go, leech. This doesn’t concern you.” The way he said it left no room for an argument. Nevertheless, Alice shook her head.

“I’m not leaving her here with both of you so angry. You could hurt her.” Her voice was surprisingly confident for someone outnumbered. Jacob growled and stepped into her personal space. Alice didn’t even flinch.

“Jake, leave her alone,” Bella responded forcefully. She pushed herself in between the two of them but neither moved. Seth still stood back. He was still young and it was hard for him to control his shifts. “Jacob! I have neighbors. You need to relax.” It seemed like her words flew right over his head.

“I _told_ you not to go near them,” he turned to Bella. “And so instead of listening to me, you go to their fucking house!” It was one of the first times she had ever heard him yell. Any other time the yelling was never directed at her. 

She flinched back and shook her head at him. “I can make my own decisions, Jacob. You don’t control me. You’re wrong about them. I spent all day with them and I’m perfectly fine!” This only seemed to piss Jacob off more as he took a step back and ran his hand over his face. 

“You’re wrong, Bella. It’s all a trick and the legends don’t lie. Sam is going to flip when he finds out about this.” Bella knew that they were most likely feeding Sam information but it still hurt to hear. Sam had full control over them.

Bella crossed her arms and stared both of them down. “I don’t give a crap about Sam. He’s a dick and both of you are so far up his ass you can’t see the truth!” It was a low blow and she knew that. There wasn’t anything they could do about Sam. He was their alpha and you never went against an alpha. This comment was apparently a breaking point for Seth as he lunged forward at Alice. Bella stepped in front of her but Jacob grabbed him before he could reach her. It hurt Bella to think that he might have only done it in case any other humans were watching.

Seth continued to try and struggle out of his tight grip. His eyes showed that he wasn’t fully himself presently. “Fuck you, Bella! When they finally snap and kill you we should just let them! You’re not one of us and you never will be!” It was said out of pure rage but Bella still felt tears start to well up in her eyes. She shoved them down not willing to cry in front of everyone. Even Jacob had the decency to look angrily at him while still keeping his hold.

There was suddenly a loud metal thump and they all turned to see Rosalie standing in the bed of her truck. She looked furious. “If you threaten Bella like that again I will personally rip your head from your body,” she spoke calmly. Seth growled and was back to struggling out of Jacob’s grip. “Charlie will be home any minute. I suggest you two leave before he sees your pathetic lack of control.” She jumped out of the truck with grace and landed next to Alice. Jacob looked back to Bella with sadness in his eyes but she only turned away. 

Without glancing back, Jacob hoisted Seth up and started walking towards the treeline. Everyone was silent until the two boys disappeared into the forest. Bella hoped that Seth wouldn’t do anything reckless in his wolf form. She knew anger for them was really uncontrollable at times. It was a blessing in disguise that Charlie would be there soon and stopped the confrontation. She couldn’t choose a side if a fight broke out. Seth’s words continued to swirl in her mind. 

“Are you okay?” Alice asked, putting a comforting arm on Bella’s shoulder. The vampire didn’t seem shaken up in the slightest at the situation. It made Bella smile gently.

“Yeah, I’m alright. I’ve just never seen them act like that before,” she explained and the sadness slipped back into her voice. Rosalie was standing next to Alice, the aggression still present on her face.

She looked Bella over as if still searching for injuries. “They’re feral animals. They can’t just stand there and _talk_ to you like that. Ridiculous, flea-ridden assholes,” Rosalie grumbled out like an angst ridden teen. It made Bella laugh despite the situation. Before she could respond Charlie pulled up to the curb in his police cruiser. Bella hoped that her face wasn’t still red with anger. She didn’t want to have to lie to him about her argument with the boys. He got out of the car slowly and walked over to the three of them.

“Um, hi girls.” He was obviously struck by Alice and Rosalie’s beauty. A light blush covered his cheeks immediately. Bella did her best to hold in her laughter. 

Alice stepped forward and reached out her hand pleasantly. “Hello Chief Swan, I’m Alice and this is my sister Rosalie,” she spoke as they shook hands. Charlie still seemed starstruck, Bella could relate fully. “We were just dropping by to visit Bella. We’ve all become quite close at school and we just wanted to catch up.” Rosalie stayed silent but her face no longer held any signs of previous anger. 

“That’s great, it’s always good to see friendly faces. Bella needs some good friends. That Newton boy is a real handful,” he said it jokingly but Bella knew it was true. Her father hated whenever Mike was around. She guessed he could sense that Mike had an obvious crush on her. Rosalie let out a noise of agreement at his words and Bella turned to look at her. She just raised her eyebrow until Bella blushed and turned back around. “Well, it was nice to meet you ladies. If you’ll excuse me there is a case of beer inside calling my name.” Alice laughed at him and Bella couldn’t hold in the eye roll. Of course her father would find ways to embarrass her within five minutes.

As he made his way inside, out of earshot, Alice turned back to her. “He’s sweet. We should get back and tell the others what happened.” Bella looked worried at her words. “It’s just a precaution. Our family doesn’t trust Sam very much, either. Are you sure you’re gonna be okay?” There was a beat of silence before Bella nodded. It was pointless to let onto the fact that she was scared or upset. Alice smiled and started slowly making her way to her Porsche. “Come on, Rose. I’ll give you a ride home.”

Bella looked to Rosalie and realized the girl was extremely reluctant to leave. She was staring at Bella, with what looked like desperation, in her eyes. “Do you think they’ll come back here? Do you think you’re at all in danger? Even a little?” Her eyes darted around as she spoke like she was taking in her surroundings. There was a warm feeling running through Bella at the girl’s caring words. The wolves definitely wouldn’t bother her again tonight. As long as she stuck by Charlie there wouldn’t be any problems. They’d never risk exposure like that. It’s why they didn’t argue and left earlier.

Bella tried to reassure her with her eyes. “I’ll be fine. Despite what you just saw. I trust the two of them not to hurt me.” It was starting to be difficult to even believe her own words. Rosalie looked suspicious as well. Alice gently honked the horn, gaining both girl’s attention.

“It’ll be fine, Rose, let the human get some sleep. We have to get back to our coffins,” she yelled out but not loud enough for the neighbors to hear. Bella smiled as Alice repeated her joke from when they had first become friends. Rosalie gave one last hesitant glance before heading towards the car. Bella couldn’t ignore the ache in her chest as she watched her go. She watched as the car drove away and stayed still until she could no longer see the two of them.

Standing outside no longer felt safe and Bella quickly made her way inside the house. As she closed the door she couldn’t help but discreetly lock it behind her. She made her way into the living room to see that Charlie was already asleep on the couch, TV blaring. It made her feel bad that he worked such long hours all the time. He was a really good dad and she wished she could give him the world. Gently, she covered him with a blanket and muted the baseball game that was on. Earlier, she had been fairly hungry but now her stomach felt sour. There was no point in making food if she wasn’t going to eat it now.

Instead, she made her way to her room and laid down on top of her quilt, sighing gently. There was a buzz from her back pocket and she pulled it out quickly. If it was one of the wolves she was ready for whatever was going to be thrown at her. It wasn’t, though. Another unknown number had texted her.

_This is Rosalie. I didn’t want you to be in danger and then not be able to contact any of us._

Bella smiled at the text and quickly saved the number as a new contact. She briefly wondered if Rosalie knew that she already had Alice’s number to call if it was needed. It was a minute later that she decided to reply.

_I saved your number. I’ll be sure to text you if I can’t get the lid off the pickle jar. Those things always give me problems._

It was seconds after she pushed send that an answer came through. The reply made her chuckle.

_Okay, smart-ass. Btw pickles smell like gasoline to us so don’t ask me to come anywhere near them._

It was late and she could feel her eyes starting to slip closed. The day had been long and filled with stressful situations. She didn’t regret her choice to go to the Cullen's house, though. She sent one last message to Rosalie and put her phone on her nightstand.

_Thanks for_ _having my back today. Goodnight, Rose._

In her half asleep state she heard her phone buzz one last time.

_Of course, sweet dreams, Bella._


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning she awoke with a groan and the sound of her phone ringing. It took her a second of reaching around blindly before finding it. She answered it with bleary eyes and held it up to her ear.

“Whoever this is you better be dying,” she said and tried to wipe the sleep from her eyes. There was twinkling laughter on the other end. Alice.

“You fell asleep without setting your alarm and you were going to be late to school,” she said easily. A quick glance to the clock showed that she was telling the truth.

“Shit, thanks Alice.” Bella sat up slowly and put her feet on the carpet.

“No problem, have fun at school!” The line clicked dead before she could reply. As she went about her morning routine she wondered if she should text Leah. Jacob and Seth definitely told her what happened and she hadn’t heard from the other girl. All three of them would be at school on the Reservation today, anyway. There was no point in texting her if the boys were just going to see it. She had no reason to apologize so the ball was in their court now.

When she finally made her way downstairs she was surprised to see Charlie sitting at the kitchen table. He was reading the paper and drinking coffee in a typical dad fashion. It was weird that he hadn’t left for work by now. 

She sat down across from him and he finally took notice of her. “Hey, kiddo.”

“Hey, not that I’m not happy to see you. But shouldn’t you be at work by now?” The more she looked at him the more she started to notice how tired he looked. There were bags under his eye and his hair wasn’t kept at all. He looked troubled. “You okay?” she added as an afterthought when he didn’t answer her immediately. He put the paper he was holding down and let out a long sigh.

“Work has been rough the last few days. I don’t wanna scare you or anything so I’ll keep the details brief.” Bella felt her heart rate pick up as Charlie looked for the right words to say. “They’ve found multiple...bodies in the woods around Port Angeles. It’s suspected to be some type of animal doing it. But I…” he abruptly cut himself off. “I’m sure it’ll be sorted out soon,” he finished instead and gave her a smile that didn’t look reassuring. She wanted to push him to tell her more but she knew he wouldn’t talk. 

“I’m sure you’re right, dad. I’m gonna head to school now but be careful at work, please.” The nod he gave showed he was already lost in his own thoughts again. This wasn’t normal behavior for him. Whatever he knew about the bodies had obviously shook him up. She slowly got up from the table and distractedly made her way to her truck. As she put her keys into the ignition her phone gave a loud  _ beep _ signaling a text. When she pulled it out she wasn’t surprised to see it was from Alice.

_ It’s gonna be sunny for the first half of the day so we can’t go to school until later. Come sit with us at lunch today! _

Another text came through as well. This one was from Rosalie.

_ Alice just told me Mike is going to be asking you to prom when u see him in class. I suggest you keep your dignity and turn him down. _

The anxiety at the awkward interaction she was not going to be able to avoid made her grimace. There was no way she would ever agree to going with him. He was sweet, but Jessica clearly liked him. Bella wasn’t about to come between them even if they weren’t together. Besides, she had no intentions of even going to prom. Dresses and heels weren’t exactly her thing. She quickly texted Rosalie back before pulling out of the driveway slowly. 

_ I’d rather not have him stepping on my toes all night and trying to makeout with me in the hallway. Thanks for the warning. _

It was going to be a stressful day apparently.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Bella finally walked into the lunchroom later that day she felt a sense of relief. Everyone of her teachers today seemed to be in an awful mood. Then, Mike did actually try to ask her out and she had to politely turn him down. Luckily, Jessica wasn’t around when it had happened. Thoughts of her dad also held her attention every so often. It jumped between him and the wolves like a trampoline. The fact that none of them had even texted her had her deeply upset. She thought of them as her family. 

The Cullens were at their table already like Alice had promised. The minute Emmett spotted her he started waving his hands violently as if she was blind. The action caused the others to turn their heads towards her. Bella’s eyes immediately connected with Rosalie. As their eyes met she could feel the worry she’d been feeling all day lessen. They held their stare down until Bella was standing in front of the table. 

Emmett demanded her attention a second later. “Hello! We brought you pizza!” He followed his words by doing jazz hands at the paper plate across from him. The only open seat was next to Rosalie.

“Thanks, Em. I didn’t have a chance to eat breakfast this morning.” As she sat the others gave her quiet greetings. Rosalie stayed silent but Bella could feel that she was looking at her. Whenever the blonde was present Bella found herself absentmindedly focusing on her. It was a habit that she was still getting used to.

As Bella sat at the Cullen’s lunch table she could feel all eyes on her. They hadn’t really interacted with many people since their sudden appearance. It was probably bizarre to her classmates that she had been the chosen one. She could see her table of friends all looking her way with curiosity in their eyes. It was only a matter of time before Jessica tried to pry any gossip she could out of her. Mike continued to stare at her like a kicked puppy. It made her roll her eyes in discomfort. 

Rosalie took notice of this and laughed lightly. “Get used to him pestering you. Human boys don’t know how to take no for an answer.” This caused Emmett to let out a loud laugh that seemed to startle the others. Jasper spoke up from his spot pressed against Alice’s side.

“Back when I was human,” he made sure to keep his voice low. “Men prided themselves on being gentlemen. How hard is it to hold a door open for the girl you’re courting?” Bella raised her eyebrows at his words. She’d never heard someone used that term before. It made her curious how old Jasper actually was. 

Before she could ask Emmett huffed. “Okay grandpa, maybe that still flies in the nursing homes. We’re in a new century now, though. Ladies love the bad boys.” He flexed his muscles as if that added something to his claim. Alice just smiled playfully at him and pretended to eat her lunch.

“Leave Jazz alone. And I wouldn’t take advice from someone who’s been single for the last two centuries,” she teased back and Emmett put his hand to his heart.

“Damn, Alice. Why you gotta insult me like that? Also, I may have been single but my bed was definitely not empty.” The eye wiggle he gave the pixie made Bella let out a surprised giggle. She could see Rosalie looking at her out of the corner of her eye. It made her blush and she had to bite her lip to keep from smiling.

Edward put his two cents into the conversation eventually. “I can hear his thoughts. He isn’t lying.” It was said with a grimace and a twitch of his eye. Alice had explained to her that Edward could read people’s minds. It had worried her at first but Alice assured her that her thoughts were blocked for some reason. Bella couldn’t imagine being inside everyone's’ head like that. She would go crazy. It made her think back to her conversation with Charlie earlier. He wouldn’t give her any details about the crime scene and that had worried her.

She was speaking before she even knew what was happening. “When you read minds can you see images?” For the most part Edward didn’t seem startled by her question. The others all looked on curiously. 

“For the most part, no, but everyone is different. Why?”

She shrugged her shoulders dismissively. “Charlie mentioned something about animal attacks in Port Angeles this morning. Usually, his cases really don’t affect him. But he seemed off this morning, like he regretted bringing it up.” She paused for a second. “It’s probably nothing, though.” Edward furrowed his eyebrows at her before leaning back in his chair. 

“He’d have to be actively thinking about the situation for me to see anything. Our father could definitely find out if it was anything inhuman. He’s got a lot of connections.” The others stayed quiet and Bella wondered if that meant they were concerned about what she’d said.

If it  _ was _ something supernatural she didn't want her dad to be in the middle of it. “Do you think Charlie could be in any type of danger?” The slight panic was clear in her voice. She dug her nails into the palm of her hand under the table to try and calm herself down. Before she could do any real damage she felt a cold hand on top of her own. Bella didn’t have to even look to know it was Rosalie. The blonde gently loosened her hand before lacing their fingers together. It made her heart jump in her chest at the feeling of their hands pressed together.

Alice looked between the two of them as if she knew what was happening. “I’m sure your dad will be fine Bella. We can talk to Carlisle right after school as well. He’ll be home from work early.” It was hard to pay attention to Alice’s comforting words as Rosalie stroked her thumb across her knuckles. It was so calming that she had to fight to keep her eyes from closing. 

Rosalie nudged her and gestured towards Bella’s uneaten pizza. “Stop worrying and eat your piece of cardboard before the bell rings.” 

They didn’t let go of each other's hands for the rest of the period. 

  



	8. Chapter 8

Bella sighed in relief as the last period bell finally rang. After spending lunch with the Cullens the rest of her day felt bland in comparison. She felt trapped in the classroom while her dad was out there dealing with ‘who knows what’. Every time she felt herself start to relax the anxiety would immediately act up again. Her life had changed so drastically since she’d found out about the Cullens on Sunday. The pull she felt towards them made it impossible to fight. She didn’t  _ want _ to fight it. Even if it meant that she was going against everything her family stood for.

Then, there was Rosalie. The girl had threatened to kill her when they met in the woods. Bella didn’t really believe her but it was still a daunting first encounter. Based on that encounter their relationship should have been hostile. It wasn’t, though. Rosalie had listened when she told her about her suicide attempt. She defended her in front of Seth and Jacob as well. Lastly, comforted her during lunch today. Bella could swear her hand was still tingling from the contact. 

Back in Phoenix she had never put much thought into relationships. There were a few boys that she had kissed here and there growing up. That’s about as far as it went. Her attention was more held by the fact that she didn’t really care about being alive. Now, in Forks, she was more stable. Which meant she thought about those things a lot more. Except with Rosalie it felt different, good different. It was hard to even entertain the thought of kissing Rosalie because her cheeks would immediately flush. Bella’s emotions were heightened by the other girl. She should probably be alarmed by it but she wasn’t.

As she stood up and made her way outside she was surprised to see Emmett standing there. When he spotted her he immediately waved her over with a stern expression on his face. He crossed his arms once she was in front of him.

“One of the dogs is standing by your truck,” he said, nodding his head to the far end of the parking lot. Bella quickly turned her head and could just make out Jacob in the distance. She couldn’t read his facial expression from where she stood. “Do you want me to hang around? The others had to go home. Rose was starting to cause a scene,” he added and smirked a little at his own words. Students filtered out behind them. All of them still sending curious glances towards the pair.

“I’ll be okay. He hopefully just wants to talk. I trust him,” she stated. Emmett nodded his head and started to back away from her. 

Before he could get too far he turned back around and smiled. “If you need us just yell really, and I mean  _ really, _ loud.” With that he turned around and headed towards the treeline. Bella assumed he was going to have to run home since the others had taken the cars. She watched until he disappeared and began walking over to Jacob slowly.

He met her halfway with a guilty expression on his face. “Hey, can we talk?” She ignored his question and walked the rest of the way to her truck. The rusted metal gave a groan of protest as she hopped up onto the hood. He watched her silently.

“If you’re here to yell at me more or make me feel like a dumb human, then don’t bother,” she spoke coldly. No matter how much he pouted she wasn’t going to give in that easily. “Where’s the other two? Waiting in the woods in case you need backup?” It was a low blow and she knew it. 

Jacob just looked down at the ground and placed his hands in his pockets. “Seth is ashamed of what he said. They both figured it was best for now if I came alone,” he paused for a moment. “Look, Bella, I’m sorry about the other day. I...I still don’t trust the Cullens. It’s clear you do, though, and I definitely trust your judgement. I was just scared when you didn’t tell us where you were going.” 

Bella sighed at his words and slowly felt her body start to relax. It was easy to forgive him after all they had been through together. “Did you tell Sam what happened?” she asked. He had the decency to look sheepish before shrugging his shoulders.

“Seth was so worked up that he couldn’t block his thoughts. Sam saw everything through his mind. He was pissed, to put it lightly, but I made sure to calm him down. You’re vamp friends are safe for now,” he finished and Bella couldn’t help the gentle laugh that escaped. Jacob smiled back at her and seemed more relaxed as well.

“I’m not...gonna stop hanging around with them. I can’t explain it but I feel this pull towards them. It’s not because they’re vampires. I don’t really know what it is.” The fact that he didn’t grimace at her words showed Bella that he was serious. Hopefully, Seth and Leah would follow in his footsteps. 

“It’s her isn’t it?” The question had Bella confused. He elaborated when she didn’t answer him. “The blonde one. She threatened Seth for you. It’s not necessarily the Cullens you’re drawn to, it’s her.” The explanation he gave seemed to make him upset. Bella didn’t even know where to begin to unpack the statement.

“I...don’t know what to say to that, honestly.” Her thoughts were turning into a tornado. Was it actually Rosalie she felt the pull towards? It made sense when she actually thought about it. But why? Why her? Jacob just shook his head and rubbed his boot against the concrete.

“It’s not my place to tell you, Bells.” Before she could ask him what he meant by that his head whipped to the treeline. The look on his face showed annoyance. “Sam is calling a pack meeting. I have to go but I’ll talk to you soon. We’re really sorry,” was all he said before sprinting towards the trees. Bella rolled her eyes and hopped down from her truck. There was even  _ more _ on her mind to think about now. She got into her truck and sped off towards home.

When she arrived home she wasn’t surprised to see Alice’s Porsche sitting out front. The girl in question was nowhere to be seen, though. Charlie was still at work and wouldn’t be home for another few hours. As she made her way into her house there was still no sign of Alice. By the time Bella made it to her room she was convinced the other girl wasn’t actually there. She dropped her backpack on the ground and made her way towards her bed. Suddenly, there was a blur through her open window and a thud. Bella let out a surprised shriek before realizing it was just Alice.

“Sorry, I went hunting while I was waiting for you,” she explained, ignoring the fact Bella was clutching her heart. Her breathing was ragged as she tried to calm herself down. 

Rosalie appeared in the window at a much slower pace a few seconds later. “I think you almost gave her a heart attack,” she said to her sister jokingly. There was another gentle thump as she landed on the carpet. Bella couldn’t help but think back to Jacob’s words at the sight of Rosalie. Their eyes connected and it wasn’t until Alice cleared her throat that they stopped.

“We talked to Carlisle about what you told us,” she explained and took a seat on the bed. It was clear that she had no trouble making herself right at home. Rosalie stayed standing with her arms crossed. “He made a few phone calls and it...doesn’t look promising,” she spoke gently.

Bella held her breath in fear. “Shit.” It was all she could really think to say in the moment. 

Alice continued on a second later. “The bodies were drained of most of their blood. But it was done in a gruesome way. Not like a regular vampire, something different, more feral. Carlisle thinks it’s a Wendigo. Well, more like multiple Wendigos.” Bella felt her hands go clammy at Alice’s explanation. Now she understood why her dad didn’t want to give her any details. He didn’t want to scare her. She couldn’t imagine the crime scenes he had seen the last couple of days.

“Great, so now there’s  _ another _ supernatural creature heading towards Forks. And this one doesn’t sound very friendly,” Bella said and couldn’t keep the hysteria out of her voice. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Rosalie take a small step towards her. 

Alice looked between them from her spot on the bed before continuing. “Wendigos aren’t exactly a different entity. They’re still vampires, just a different breed. Some vampires will try to starve themselves as a form of suicide. It usually doesn’t work, though. They eventually go into a blood-lust state of mind but their body no longer absorbs the blood. Their appearance changes and the rest of their lifespan is spent trying to satiate their thirst.” As Alice spoke Bella could feel herself starting to get nauseous. She regretted only eating that pizza at lunch. 

“Well, if it is those...things, what do we do about it?” At Bella’s question, Rosalie finally spoke up.

“ _ We _ don’t do anything about it. Carlisle reported it to the Voliteri. They enforce the rules in our world and their coven is giant. It’ll be handled,” Rosalie said with a dismissive shake of her hand. Bella wanted to know more about the Voliteri but she’d save those questions for later. It didn’t take away from the fact that her dad, along with other humans, were still in danger.

“I don’t want anything to happen to my dad. If people are dying we should do something about it. We have to tell the wolves,” Bella went to take out her phone but Alice put her hand up.

“Carlisle has already let the pack leader know to look out for anything suspicious. Unlike us, Wendigos will burn in the sunlight so it’s not far off that they might head towards Forks,” Alice paused and shifted a bit on the bed. “There’s a problem, though. They don’t usually travel in a coven. But these killings suggest that they’re moving as a unit. It’s strange.” She seemed alarmed at her own words. Suddenly, Bella was starting to feel helpless in this situation. How was she supposed to help if something  _ did  _ happen?

As if hearing her thoughts Rosalie spoke up. “We won’t let anything happen to you or your dad. This isn’t your battle to worry about.” Bella looked towards Rosalie and could see the protectiveness in her eyes. 

Alice stood up from the bed a moment later and headed towards the window. “We should probably go check if Carlisle has any more information. Rose, I’ll meet you outside.” She jumped out of the window as if they weren’t on the second floor. Bella barely saw it before her attention was back on Rosalie. 

“Will you text me? If you find out anything else,” she asked and couldn’t help but take a step towards the blonde. It was like a magnetic pull. 

Rosalie nodded her head. “I promise.” Neither of them moved and Rosalie made no attempt to leave. Bella had to swallow down the urge to ask her to stay. A honk from outside caused Bella to jump slightly. It was most likely Alice. Rosalie looked towards the window in annoyance. In a blur of movements Rosalie was suddenly standing in front of her. “Stay safe,” she whispered before leaning down and placing her lips against Bella’s cheek. It was barely a peck but Bella felt her whole body start to flush.

Rosalie was out the window in the next second.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm honestly having so much fun with this story:)

The next morning Bella awoke from a nightmare filled sleep. After Alice and Rosalie had left she impatiently waited for Charlie to get home. She just wanted to know that he was safe. When he finally walked through the door she couldn’t help but to rush over and hug him. He seemed confused but luckily didn’t comment on her strange behavior. They ate dinner together for the first time in weeks, it was nice. Throughout the meal he at least looked to be in higher spirits. Afterwards, she’d gone upstairs to do whatever homework she had. When the time to finally sleep came she couldn’t bring herself to close her eyes. Images of monsters rampaging through her house plagued her. It wasn’t until the birds started chirping that she had drifted off. 

Her alarm was still blaring and she hoped Charlie had already left for work. She didn’t want to bother him with so much noise this early in the morning. As she began to get ready for the day she could hear her phone buzzing on the nightstand. It was a few minutes until she finally picked it up. Rosalie had texted her.

_ Emmett is bringing you to school today so meet him outside. _

Bella quickly rushed over to her window to look out onto the road. Sure enough, Emmett’s over sized Jeep was parked halfway up the curb. Hopefully his driving wasn’t as sporadic as Alice’s was. She didn’t bother commenting on the situation and instead finished getting ready. By the time she was heading out the front door he was leaning against his Jeep looking impatient. When he saw her his eyes lit up in excitement.

“There she is! I forgot how slow humans could be,” he said, not lowering his tone at all. Bella hoped her neighbors were all still asleep and not listening. She quickly made her way over to him before he could cause more of a scene.

“Hey big guy, ready for another day of mind numbing boredom.” As she spoke he opened her door for her and helped her get into the car. There was a mischievous look on his face before he answered.

“Yes, school. The place we are definitely going to today, currently.” Bella didn’t have a chance to ask about his weird behavior as he slammed the door in her face. She watched him use his vampire speed to get into the driver’s seat afterwards. It all made her just roll her eyes in exasperation. The lack of sleep she had gotten was still clogging her brain. As he started the Jeep and began to drive it was clear to Bella that they all drove like maniacs. She clutched her knees in fear as Emmett made a sharp turn at full speed.

The way to Forks High was pretty straight forward. It was hard to get lost in such a small area. So Bella didn’t notice right away that they weren’t heading towards school at all. It wasn’t until Emmett was going in the complete opposite direction that she spoke up.

“Um, Em, you’re going the wrong way.” This comment only made him laugh and continue onward. 

“That’s cause we’re not going to school,” he answered with far too much excitement in his voice. “Because of our little  _ pest _ problem in Port Angeles, Carlisle decided it was time to make some plans.” Emmett didn’t seem too concerned about the Wendigos. Bella assumed it was because he was built like a giant boulder. It was probably hard to be scared of things when you looked like him. “We, of course, need our little human cheerleader there with us,” he added as an afterthought. 

Bella rolled her eyes for the second time before answering. “Very funny.” He turned to smile at her before shrugging his shoulders.

“Rose would’ve been worried about you all day anyway.” His voice was lowered as if he was telling a secret. There was no time to comment on it as they pulled up to the Cullen’s house. Everyone was already standing out on the front lawn as if waiting for them to arrive. The only person she didn’t see was Jasper. Bella’s eyes drifted to Rosalie, who was already gently smiling at her. It made Bella’s heart rate pick up rapidly as she heard Emmett chuckle next to her. They both got out of the car and made their way over to the large group. Bella knew she should feel intimidated around so many vampires, but she didn’t. 

Esme stepped forward and wrapped her into a gentle hug. It startled Bella, though she tried not to let it show. “It’s good to see you again, dear. I just wish the circumstances were better,” she spoke softly to her. It reminded Bella of her own mother in Arizona. 

When they broke apart she looked at the rest of them. “Has anything else happened?” Carlisle uncrossed his arms and gestured towards the house silently.

“Come on, we can all talk inside.” As they all started to make their way towards the house Bella waited for Rosalie. She didn’t begin to move until the blonde was next to her. The magnetic pull was back again in an instant. Rosalie didn’t make any comments about it and Bella was grateful. She didn’t want to be embarrassed in front of everyone for being clingy. Once they were inside the living room everyone sat down on various furniture. Esme and Carlisle were the only two who stayed standing.

Bella was sitting on the couch with Rosalie by her side, their legs touching. She knew it was going to be hard to focus with the girl so nearby. 

As she glanced around she was once again reminded someone wasn’t present. “Where’s Jasper?” From her seat on the other side of Bella Alice shrugged her shoulders.

“He’s keeping an eye on your dad and all the other police working on the case. Jazz is trained to fight these kinds of things. Your dad is in good hands.” From the dreamy look in her eye it was clear she was so in love with Jasper. It made Bella smile despite the situation they were in. 

She turned her attention back to Carlisle when he cleared his throat. “Alice told me she filled you in about the Volturi yesterday. I spoke to them last night in hopes that they would deal with this problem. Unfortunately, they don’t see this as a giant threat,” he stopped himself as if he was going to say something offensive. “I believe they’re wrong, though. I’ve never heard of Wendigos traveling together. And these things are killing people, who knows how many bodies haven’t been found.” Bella knew that Carlisle was only giving her facts but it was still hard to stay calm.

Roslie shifted next to her gently. “When you don’t want them to show up they’re always around. But the minute you need them to be useful they’re gone. Those assholes suck,” she snarled out. Carlisle gave her a sharp glare but didn’t comment. 

Edward smiled lightly from his spot on the recliner. “We spoke to your friends as well. Well, we spoke to Sam.” At the mention of his name Bella felt her mood go sour. “He said that he’d warn the other wolves to look out for anything. But I don’t think he was too keen on us working together. So I doubt they’ll be much help in the long run.” The news was unsurprising to Bella but she still let out a defeated sigh. Of course Sam would be more worried about the treaty then other people’s lives. He was blinded by his hatred. 

Carlisle turned back towards Bella. “It would’ve been beneficial for us to join forces. Wendigos fight differently than a regular vampire. They’re life spans are shorter and they will eventually die due to lack of blood intake. But before that, they’ll destroy whatever they can.” Emmett punched his fist into his hand and gave a proud huff.

“Well, they haven’t met me, yet,” he let out and punched at the air around him. Edward just rolled his eyes and sighed. 

Carlisle continued on as if Emmett hadn’t said anything at all. It seemed to Bella that the man was used to his antics. “They don’t feel pain no matter what happens to them. It makes it hard to keep them down. Like us, you have to remove their head and burn them. Getting to that point is extremely difficult, though. I’ve never interacted with one before, but Jasper has.” It was all a lot to take in. Especially the fact that those things out there weren’t easy to kill. It was still unclear if there were multiple running around in the woods. 

“Since the Volteri won’t help, what’s the next step?” Bella was afraid to ask the question because she already knew the answer. 

Esme was surprisingly the first to step forward. “We have to stop those things. They’re killing innocent people and we’re just as bad as them if we do nothing,” her voice was stern. Emmett pumped his fist at her words to silently cheer her on.

Carlisle nodded his head at his wife. “I agree fully.” The fact that the Cullens were putting themselves in danger like this made Bella regret ever judging them. A lot had changed since her first interaction with Alice a few days ago. Now, she cared about these people greatly. She didn’t want any of them to get hurt. As a human she knew there wasn’t much she could do to help. If she was face to face with a Wendigo it would rip her apart. The others would have to protect her. Bella glanced to her left. Rosalie could get hurt or  _ killed _ if things went poorly. The thought made her heart clench violently in her chest.

As if sensing her sudden panic, Rosalie nudged her in the arm gently. She nodded her head to the front door before addressing her family. “I’m gonna take Bella outside to get some air,” she spoke while grabbing Bella’s hand and stood. Bella followed her lead and let Rosalie take her to the front porch. It felt good to be holding the blonde’s hand again. They sat down on the top step, facing out towards the giant field. Bella was thankful that Rosalie kept their hands connected.

They sat in silence until Rosalie spoke again. “You’re freaking out.” The phrase made Bella chuckle despite her elevated heart rate. She looked at their joined hands and sighed a moment later.

“I just don’t want any of you to get hurt. And Sam is, of course, too busy worrying about his ego to help. He’s going to end up getting someone killed,” Bella paused to look into Rosalie’s eyes. “I’m angry that there’s no way for me to protect everyone.” They held each other's eyes and Bella couldn’t help but glance at Rosalie’s lips.

“I’m happy that you’re human. It might sound selfish, but I’m glad you’re not able to go out there and fight those things. You’re safer this way,” she stopped and looked back down to the ground. “It would’ve been better if you didn’t know about any of this. But your puppy friends dropped the ball on that one.” It briefly made Bella wonder what her time in Forks would’ve been like with all of this. She realized that if she could go back and change things, she wouldn’t. Her life felt like it was worth living now and she would never give that up.

“I don’t regret getting involved in all of this. I don’t regret meeting you,” Bella felt the words slip out of her mouth before she could stop herself. Rosalie’s eyes seemed to darken at her words and she sucked in a breath that she didn’t need. The blonde hesitantly reached her free hand up to cup Bella’s cheek. It was so soft and cold that Bella couldn’t help but to close her eyes. Rosalie rubbed her thumb along her jaw in a soothing gesture. The way Bella was feeling was almost too overwhelming for words. She never wanted the moment to end and Rosalie seemed happy to oblige. 

They stayed like that for a while until Rosalie reluctantly pulled back. Bella opened her eyes to look at the other girl in question. “We have company,” she said, her voice sounding annoyed at the interruption. 

Bella looked out to the field and was surprised to see Jacob, Seth and Leah standing at the treeline.


	10. Chapter 10

Rosalie and Bella stood up as the wolves approached them. The rest of the Cullens must have heard what was happening as they came outside. Bella just hoped this wasn’t about to turn into another fight. She wondered if Sam had sent them for some reason. It was unlikely, though, since there were only three of them. Sam wouldn’t allow them to be outnumbered like that.

Jacob raised his arms in compliance as they approached. “We mean no harm and we just wanna talk,” he said with honesty in his voice. Leah and Seth looked tense but they weren’t shaking at least. Bella could see Leah glancing at her and Rosalie’s connected hands. She couldn’t find it in herself to care, though. 

Carlisle stepped forward and smiled at the three of them. “Of course, any friends of Bella are friends of ours,” he politely responded. “You’re welcome to come inside if you wish.” The minute he offered, Bella knew that there was no way it was going to be accepted. 

Leah shook her head and looked around wearily. “It’d probably be best if we stayed out here.” An enclosed space with vampires was something they weren’t willing to put up with. Bella took a chance to really look at Seth, the boy was looking back at her sadly. She knew she’d need to talk to him separately later. 

Jacob ran his hands through his short hair before explaining why they were there. “Sam told us about the Wendigos. I thought there was more we should be doing about it besides watching. He...doesn’t know we’re here right now. We’re aware that you guys know more about these creatures. I think it’s important we get educated. Going into a fight like this blindly seems risky.” Bella could hear Rosalie scoff loudly next to her.

“Some of your pack still has brains after all,” she snarked out. Everyone tensed up as Seth let out a growl at her. Bella was caught off guard at the sudden protectiveness she felt. It suddenly felt like her job to calm the situation down. 

She elbowed Rosalie, knowing it wouldn’t hurt her, and sent her a glare. “Play nice.” It looked like Rosalie was about to say something back but instead closed her mouth. Bella squeezed her hand in a silent ‘thank you’. When Bella returned her attention to the wolves they were all staring in surprise. Seth looked like he had already forgotten about his anger. 

Alice jumped back in before anyone else could speak. “My mate, Jasper, is skilled against the Wendigos. He can train you guys on the best tactics,” she explained and then clapped her hands in excitement. “Oh, it’ll be so fun! We can bond!” It was funny to Bella to see the confusion written on her friend’s faces. They weren’t used to Alice’s antics yet. Carlisle looked to her with fondness in his eyes.

“Alice is correct. If you’re willing to work with us then we’d love to help you. What of your pack leader, though?” Jacob clenched his jaw at the question and shrugged.

“The three of us have already agreed on keeping quiet about this. We just need to be careful of our thoughts around him,” Jacob said, looking worried that the plan wouldn’t work. 

Edward stepped forward a second later. “I think I can help you with that. You guys block your thoughts sometimes, without even realizing it. I think there could be a lot of untapped potential there.” It was strange to see them all interacting with each other. There was still a lot of tense energy in the air but Bella could see the potential. It was nice seeing two different worlds finally colliding.

Suddenly, there was distant howling that Bella could barely hear. The three wolves turned and then looked back to each other. Jacob sighed out. “We should probably go. It’s risky if we stay for too long with the pack patrolling. We’ll talk soon.” As they began to leave it wasn’t long before Leah turned back around.

“Bella, could we talk,” she paused and glanced at Rosalie. “Alone.” The cold hand in Bella’s tightened the question. She turned towards Rosalie and silently told her it was okay with her eyes. Rosalie looked reluctant as she let go of Bella’s hand. As she made her way down the porch steps she could hear the Cullens going inside. It was funny to think that they’d still be able to hear the conversation anyway. Rosalie lingered a second longer than the others before following them in and shutting the door. 

Seth stepped forward first and looked as if he wanted to hug Bella. “I’m  _ so _ sorry for what I said, Bells. I don’t know what came over me, sometimes it feels like I’m sharing my body with a demon. You’re my family and I absolutely did not mean those words.” The desperation in his voice made Bella believe that he was telling the truth. She smiled slightly at him before reaching forward and wrapping him in a hug. He held onto her tight and she knew that they would be okay.

When they pulled back Leah shoved her brother gently out of the way. “Okay, now that we’re all cool now. Bella, what is going on with you and the hot blonde?” The blush on her cheeks was almost immediate as she stepped back from the three of them. Bella knew for a fact that Rosalie was listening to the conversation now. At Bella’s silent response Leah’s eyes widened. “Oh my god, I can’t believe you’re banging an undead hottie!” It was clear she wasn’t even trying to keep her voice down. 

Bella shook her head in disagreement as her blush worsened. “We’re not...banging. And could you keep your voice down,” she spoke, the embarrassment obvious in her voice. Jacob pretended like he wasn’t enjoying this. Meanwhile, Seth seemed just as shocked as his sister. Bella was at least grateful they weren’t angry with her anymore.

There was another distant howl that saved Bella from any more embarrassment. The three looked reluctant to leave as their moods instantly soured. Jacob gestured towards the treeline. “Come on, we gotta go.” It surprised Bella how much authority his voice held. They all said their goodbyes before Bella watched them walk into the forest. She didn’t leave her spot until they disappeared from sight. 

She turned back around towards the house Emmett threw the door open. “It’s time for the human to eat. Your undead hottie is making you pasta, come on.” The blush on her face came back with a vengeance as she stared aghast at Emmett. He only laughed and made his way back into the house. 

When she finally gathered herself enough she walked back into the house. As she closed the door behind her, Alice danced by and smiled at her knowingly. “Jazz will be home soon to tell us about anything he saw. Rose is in the kitchen with Esme.” Bella walked farther into the house and wasn’t surprised to see Emmett sitting on the couch playing some type of video game. It was something so human that it made Bella smile. Edward was nowhere to be seen.

There was a delicious smell when she finally walked through the archway into the kitchen. Esme was standing at the stove stirring something lightly in a pot. Meanwhile, Rosalie was standing and staring at a cookbook with confusion on her face. Bella felt a deep comfort at the site of the two of them cooking for her. It reminded her of Sue’s meals. 

“It smells really good in here,” she said while taking a seat at the counter. Esme smiled up at her and moved to put the lid on the pot.

“It’s very rare that I get to cook something that’s actually going to get eaten. It’s a nice change of pace.” She moved around the kitchen in a fluid motion as she spoke. Bella watched her pull out various items for the meal. 

Rosalie finally glanced up at her before returning her attention to the book. Bella laughed gently. “You look like you don’t know how to read,” she teased. Rosalie slammed the book closed and raised her eyebrow in a signature glare. Bella didn’t even feel an ounce of fear.

“Human food is too complicated. Every recipe in here needs like fifteen ingredients. I thought they were supposed to be simple,” she turned her glare to the book as if she wanted it to burst into flames. Bella couldn’t help but find the way Rosalie was acting extremely cute. It made her want to wrap the girl in a hug, but she knew it wouldn’t exactly be appropriate. Esme was still silently cooking next to them. Bella quickly glanced over to see the woman had a soft smile on her face.

“I guess that’s true,” Bella shrugged. “Vampire food only has one ingredient after all.” Rosalie’s glare was back on Bella before she could even blink. The warmth she had been feeling since walking to the kitchen only heightened. Emmett’s booming laugh could be heard from the other room.

“You’re insufferable,” Rosalie replied, the tone of her voice showed that she thought the complete opposite of her words. Bella held her stare and it felt like they were the only two in the room. “Maybe you should stop trying to piss off the undead hottie,” she added smirking coyly. 

Bella groaned out in embarrassment and put her head in her hands to hide her face. Even Esme was chuckling at her expense now. 


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> shorter but important chapter:)

When Jasper finally walked back into the house Bella was sitting on the couch watching Emmett play Halo. The bowl of pasta Esme had made was nestled between her crossed legs. She had protested eating in the living room at first but Rosalie insisted. Alice reassured her that her clumsiness wouldn’t ruin any furniture. The blonde was sitting to the right of her and Bella could see her glancing over every so often. She kept discreetly wiping her face to make sure there was no sauce anywhere. It wasn’t often she was around a group of people who weren’t used to a human’s eating habits. 

Bella watched as all the Cullens made their way back into the living room at Jasper’s arrival. He didn’t even need to announce himself because of their super hearing. Alice was the first to welcome him and leaned up to sweetly kiss his cheek. It reminded Bella of when Rosalie had done it the other day. 

The thought made her blush, this caused Jasper to smile at her. “Hello Bella, I’m happy to say your father is safe in his office. All the required field work is done for the day,” his Southern accent broke through as he spoke. 

She smiled at him and nodded her head in thanks. “I appreciate it. I don’t know what’d I do if anything happened to him.” Her stomach soured at the thought of her dad dealing with a Wendigo. She leaned forward to place her half eaten pasta on the table in front of her. 

Jasper nodded back at her before addressing the others. “While I kept an eye on everyone I did some investigating on my own. The woods around Port Angeles are covered in Wendigo scent. I couldn’t pinpoint how many and didn’t spot anything, though. They must be hiding during most of the day,” he explained grimly. 

Edward stepped forward with a worried look on his face. “Or they’ve already decided to move on and are headed towards Forks.” A chill ran through Bella at his words and she felt the sudden urge to move closer to Rosalie. The blonde made her feel safe.

“If that’s the case,” Carlisle said. “Then we need to start training immediately. We can’t be blindsided by them and I’m still unsure of their intelligence levels.” The others all made noises of agreement. It was clear to Bella that they all trusted Carlisle fully. “Some of the wolves have decided to work with us, Jasper. I’m hoping you’d be willing to work with them?” 

“Of course, Carlisle,” he answered assuredly. “The more people to help fight the better. Especially trained fighters.” Alice stared up at him with obvious love in her eyes. This was all so much to take in for Bella but she didn’t want to seem like a coward. The others were willing to protect each other and save people. Even her friends, who hated vampires, had gone rogue and wanted to help. The feeling of helplessness began to creep up on her again.

Emmett, who had been silent, finally chimed in. “Hell yes, I haven’t had a good fight in centuries.” The others rolled their eyes good naturedly before beginning to disperse. Bella watched everyone go off into their respective areas of the house. Alice sent her a wink as she walked towards the stairs with Jasper. Bella pretended she didn’t see her. It wasn’t long before she realized she was alone with Rosalie. Even Emmett, who had been gaming prior, had gone upstairs. She turned towards Rosalie and was surprised she didn’t feel nervous.

“How are you handling all this?” Rosalie asked lightly. Bella thought about it before she shrugged.

“Despite the fact that my human body isn’t much help, I feel okay.” It was true. She had meant it when she said she didn’t regret getting involved. The situation they were in wasn’t because of wolves or vampires. It was a completely different enemy that had Bella frightened now. “Are you worried about fighting those things?” 

Rosalie just shook her head and hesitantly reached out to touch Bella’s knee. The contact felt nice even through the fabric of her jeans. Bella couldn’t help but reach forward and lace their fingers together. It felt like coming home. Rosalie finally spoke again as she looked at their hands. “I just  _ really _ don’t want you to get hurt. I can’t…” she cut herself off before finishing. Her face held a frown and the grip of her hand tightened. 

Bella inched closer and forced herself to hold eye contact. “Something is...different between you and me,” she started as Rosalie held her gaze. “I feel like I want to know everything about you. I can sense when you're near me and it hurts when you’re not around. It’s only been a few days but I...need you. I think about you all the time.” It made her sound crazy. Bella couldn’t bring herself to care, though. Rosalie was looking at her with tears in her eyes. She wasn’t smiling, but Bella just knew that she was happy.

“It’s called a mate bond,” Rosalie said and finally broke their eye contact. She looked around the room as if searching for the right words. Bella tried to control her breathing as she waited. “We’re drawn to each other. It’s how vampires find their mates. I didn’t know how you would react to it, being human. It’s clear that you feel it now.” Rosalie seemed reluctant to explain the bond, almost embarrassed. It was something that was commonplace in a vampire’s world but not hers. But Bella knew of the wolves’ mating rituals.

“So, it’s like an imprint?” The fact that Bella asked seemed to surprise Rosalie.

She looked back to her with raised eyebrows. “Did the puppies tell you everything?” It was apparent the question was hypothetical but Bella still shrugged. The air around them was calm as they looked at each other gently again. Bella thought she would be more worked up after learning this new information, but she wasn’t. It just felt right. She felt content and warm and safe. Rosalie began rubbing her thumb along Bella’s knuckles. “It’s a bit different than imprinting. We don’t instantly know. The day I threatened you in the forest something felt wrong about it. I just couldn’t figure out why at the time.” 

Bella smiled at the memory of Rosalie threatening her. “When did you finally figure it out?” 

Rosalie laughed a bit before answering. “The next morning, Alice told everyone that you were coming over, and Emmett called you hot. It triggered something and I threw him through the second floor window.” Bella couldn’t help the blush that spread across her cheeks at the story. She remembered Rosalie apologizing to her later that day. 

“I don’t wanna fight this,” Bella said honestly. The house around them was silent but Bella knew everyone was still around. She couldn’t find it in herself to care that they could all hear her speaking. “I just...I’ve never been in a relationship before. I have no idea what I’m doing,” she confessed. Rosalie smiled lightly at her.

“I haven’t been in a relationship since I was human, centuries ago. That’s a story for another time, though.” Rosalie suddenly looked upset but shook her head as if clearing her thoughts. “We can take things slow. The most important thing right now is keeping you safe.” The protectiveness in her voice was clear as day. It made Bella shiver for a completely different reason. 

She boldly moved forward and maneuvered herself so she was nestled into Rosalie’s side. Rosalie moved her arm to wrap it around her shoulder gently. Their hands stayed connected across Bella’s stomach. Neither of them talked in favor of soaking each other's presence in. The cold skin pressed against her own made Bella feel relaxed. It was hard to pinpoint exactly what she was feeling because it was so overwhelming. She knew she could fall asleep like this if she allowed her eyes to close. Nevertheless, she didn’t want the moment to end so she kept them open. 

It wasn’t until two hours later that Alice was shaking her awake that she realized her plan didn’t work. As Alice pulled her out the door, intent to get her home before Charlie arrived, Rosalie sent her a wink from the couch. She blushed all the way home while Alice smirked at her from the driver’s seat.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Sorry I was MIA the past few days with no updates. Work kicked my butt and I didn't wanna post anything I wasn't 100% happy with. I'm off the next two days so expect some goodness coming your way. Thank you to everyone reviewing, leaving kudos, and bookmarking! I really appreciate it:)

The next morning Bella woke up before her alarm could even ring. She was excited for the day ahead and a little nervous. Rosalie had finally explained what was going on between them. They were mates. Bella didn’t understand all that entailed yet but she was eager to learn more. Being with Rosalie just felt so right. When she had fallen asleep in the blonde’s arms last night it felt like second nature to her. It didn’t matter that there were potential threats or angry wolves. Being with Rosalie made her forget all that. As she stood up to prepare for the day she couldn’t wait to see Rosalie at school.

By the time she was pulling into Forks High’s parking lot there was a light drizzle beginning. Bella rolled her eyes, knowing her hair was going to get frizzy. She had taken extra time on her appearance this morning. Even Charlie, who luckily had the day off, had commented on it. She only blushed a bit when he called her beautiful from his spot at the kitchen table. While she parked she absentmindedly looked for the Cullen's cars. It didn’t take long to spot them in their usual places towards the end of the lot. They were nowhere to be seen, though. The thought of not seeing Rosalie before class made her heart clench.

Before she could dwell on it too long there was a violent tapping on her window. It made her jump in surprise before she looked over to see Emmett’s smiling face. Behind him were Alice and Rosalie standing under umbrellas. She was momentarily stunned when her and Rosalie locked eyes. Emmett seemed to take notice of this and began to aggressively tap again. Bella shook her head, turned the engine off, and hopped out of the truck.

Emmett wrapped her in a hug before her feet were fully on the ground. “Good morning, my favorite little human. It’s a beautiful day,” he spoke loudly while twirling her around. Bella was happy that she had skipped breakfast this morning. Her stomach wouldn’t have been able to handle the spinning. It only came to a stop when someone let out a quiet growl behind them. Emmett immediately put her down and backed up a few steps. Rosalie was glaring at him and stepped forward to shove him farther back. He didn’t seem even a bit fazed by the aggression and gave her a big smile in return.

Bella finally spoke up before they could start arguing. “Hey guys, long time no see.” Rosalie stepped forward so the umbrella was covering both their heads.

Alice bounced on the balls of her feet gently. “I feel so antsy being at school right now. Edward and Jasper stayed home to patrol in the woods.” She looked to the treeline as if she could see something Bella couldn’t. The bell suddenly rang as they all headed towards the school doors.

“The wolves are coming over after school to train,” Rosalie said quietly. Bella knew the others could hear her loud and clear, though. “Hopefully it doesn’t end in a blood bath.” Emmett laughed even though he knew she was serious. 

“My friends will behave. If they’re going behind Sam’s back like this then I trust them. I’m just worried they’ll get caught,” Bella answered thoughtfully. 

Alice shook her head gently. “It’s impossible for me to tell. My visions are blocked around the wolves.” They reached the entrance as Alice spoke. Emmett began shaking the rain water off of himself as if he were a dog. 

“Well, there’s nothing we can do about it now,” Rosalie said, closing the umbrella and glaring at the other students. “We’re trapped in this hell-hole until three.” Everyone around them seemed to stare as if they were some type of spectacle to behold. It made Bella chuckle to herself. She was upset that she wasn’t going to be able to see Rosalie until lunch again. Even though it would only be a few short hours the separation still stung.

As if sensing a change in the atmosphere, Alice began backing away. “Come on, Em. We don’t wanna keep Mr. Falto waiting.” He made a point to waggle his eyebrows at both of them before silently following after Alice. 

Bella turned towards Rosalie and let out an exasperated sigh. “I’m assuming they all know about the mate bond.” It didn’t worry Bella at all that the others knew. If anything, it made her feel happy that Rosalie was hers.

Rosalie just rolled her eyes in return. “It’s hard to hide things in a house full of vampires. But throwing Emmett through a window really clued them in,” she finished, still clearly embarrassed that it had happened. Bella just smiled at her and resisted the urge to grab her hand. The rumor mill would go crazy if anyone saw them doing it. The attention wasn’t worth it. 

“I think it’s sweet you did that. In a weird super-strength, immortal kinda way,” Bella joked and made sure to keep her voice low. Rosalie laughed and shook her head wordlessly. The warning bell rang overhead, signaling that they would have to separate soon. 

Rosalie didn’t look happy about that fact. “Come home with us today after school. You can watch everyone train and Esme can make you food.” It was funny to Bella that Rosalie seemed nervous to ask her that. 

“Of course, minus the imminent threat currently, I like spending time with you guys. I...like spending time with you,” Bella finished shyly. She wanted to be fully honest with Rosalie about what she was feeling. It was important to her that Rosalie was happy.

Rosalie smiled gently and leaned forward to nudge her arm. “What a charmer. Alright, as much as I don’t want to, we gotta go to class.” They continued to stare at each other as their fellow students dwindled around them. Bella  _ really _ didn’t want to leave the other girl’s side. Now that she knew it was the mate bond, it was hard to ignore. 

It wasn’t until the final bell rang that they reluctantly parted ways. 

The rest of the school day was uneventful and drug on for what felt like forever. Bella had received a text from Alice around fourth period to sit with her human friends today. She had a vision that they were getting suspicious of Bella being so close with them. It’d be better for her to sit with them and make up a few white lies. When lunch finally did roll around she was bombarded with a million questions from Jessica. The girl wanted to know  _ everything _ and Bella did her best to make up excuses. The others acted like they weren’t as interested but Bella could see right through them. Forks lived on small town gossip. While she fought off Jessica she couldn’t help but to look over to the Cullens’ table.

Rosalie was looking back at her longingly before switching to glare at Jessica. Bella had to do her best to keep the smile off her face. She knew the three vampires could hear everything Jessica and her were talking about. It took the whole period to get her friends to finally drop the gossiping act and move on to something else. 

By the time the final school bell rang Bella was rushing out the door to the parking lot. She didn’t make it very far before barreling right into Emmett. He was smiling down at her as if he expected it to happen. “I’ve been instructed to take your keys and drive your truck to our place. You’re riding with Rose.” Bella didn’t bother questioning it and threw him her keys. She was excited to finally see the blonde again. Her lunch plans had been ruined and she felt antsy now.

When the two of them made their way over to Alice and Rosalie, both girls were already inside their cars. It was clear neither of them wanted their hair to be anymore disheveled from the light rain. Bella smiled and made her way to the passenger door, waving goodbye to Emmett happily. 

Rosalie turned the heat on for Bella’s benefit as she climbed into the red BMW. The car’s interior was beautiful and Bella didn’t think she’d ever sat in something so nice. If Charlie saw this car he would absolutely fall in love with it. 

She turned towards Rosalie as they began to reverse out of the parking spot. “I’m guessing you drive like a maniac too, if your family is any indication.” As she spoke she caught a glimpse of Emmett speeding away violently in her truck. Rosalie laughed and shrugged lightly. Bella thought she looked beautiful.

“It’s just easier for us to break the speed limit. I can drive slower if you want me to,” she responded and it caught Bella off guard. Rosalie was clearly confident in her ability to drive fast. 

“No, I trust you,” Bella said, without even thinking about her words. She believed them fully. 

As they turned onto the road Rosalie looked over to her slightly. “Can I...ask you something?” At her words Bella felt nervous but she tried not to let it show. She nodded her head, knowing Rosalie would see it. It took another few seconds of silence before the girl spoke again. “What happened back in Arizona? When you..ended up in the hospital. I just can’t stop thinking about it, about you almost dying.” Rosalie seemed to send herself into a panic at her own words.

Bella quickly reached over to lace their hands together on the center console. She hoped that it would calm Rosalie down a bit. The conversation was about to get rough, but Bella knew it needed to happen. She had to reassure Rosalie that things were better now. “My mom, Renee, she did the best she could with me. I was always getting in trouble at school for zoning out and I’d just come home to sleep. I didn’t have friends and I didn’t want any. I was just...depressed all the time. She didn’t really know how to handle it, so instead, she just ignored it.” Bella paused to collect herself and saw Rosalie gripping the steering wheel tightly. 

It was only going to get darker from there. Bella sighed and continued on. “One day, after school, I just...had enough and I went into the bathroom. My mom had a bottle of xanax from her doctor. It had just been refilled and I just took every single pill. Long story short, my mom came home and found me on the bathroom floor. I was clinically dead by the time I reached the hospital. They had to hit me with a Narc-an and then pump my stomach.” At this point in the story Rosalie pulled over to the side of the road and turned her hazard blinkers on.

Bella just silently watched her as she closed her eyes and rested her head back against the seat. She looked almost like she was in pain. “Bella,  _ please _ don’t ever do something like that again.” The tone of her voice held so much desperation it made Bella shudder.

“After I recovered in the hospital they finally diagnosed me with clinical depression. I got a therapist, weekly doctor’s checkups, and eventually found an antidepressant that worked for me. After moving back to Forks and reconnecting with Charlie things got easier. There’s still bad days, but I’m better.” At her words of reassurance Rosalie finally opened her eyes. The death grip she had on Bella’s hand lessened a bit.

“When the bad days come you can always talk to me. I understand that feeling of hopelessness,” Rosalie said and stopped herself from continuing. Bella leaned forward in her seat subconsciously. 

“During your human life?” Bella asked, already feeling like she knew the answer. Rosalie just nodded at her and squeezed her hand gently.

“I’ll explain eventually, just not today. It won’t be long until Alice is calling and asking where we are.” They sat in comfortable silence as Rosalie pulled back out onto the road. Bella wanted to be able to spend more alone time with her but that didn’t seem possible anytime soon. The Wendigos were coming whether they were prepared or not. It was only a matter of time before shit started hitting the fan. Bella looked down at their joined hands before pulling them towards herself. She ignored Rosalie’s questioning glance and brought the back of Rosalie’s palm to her lips. The car gave a slight jerk and Bella smiled, but didn’t pull away. 

The blonde’s hand was freezing and it felt nice against her mouth. It was hopefully a calming gesture. She stayed there for a few more seconds before placing their hands back onto the console. Rosalie kept any comments to herself, but Bella couldn’t help the blush that rose to her cheeks.

“You’re lovely,” Rosalie said with a smile when she caught sight of Bella’s face. It only made Bella blush harder.


End file.
